Raindrop Cake/Story
Fondness Story 'I. Prisoner' The sound of these droplets of rain... Perhaps, this is the sound of death... Each droplet ends its short life as it becomes one with the soil. What about me? When will it end for me? Surrounded by darkness, the sound of rain reminds me of a past too painful to forget. It was one of those rainy nights. Master Attendant was murdered in the rain, but it wasn't a Fallen Angel who did it. I fell to the wet ground as I looked into Master's lifeless eyes. I reached out to hold his hand, but all I felt was the cold stiff fingers of a corpse. Perhaps it was the rain that caused his body to lose its warmth and feel ever so cold. I couldn't... I didn't want to believe that Master Attendant was gone forever. "Why? ....Why didn't you tell me?" The sound of my voice was as cold as the rain."You're the same... in the end, everyone dies around me." As the rain falls, the air grows colder. A chill sends shivers down the spine as the feeling of sorrow is brought to life. My feet grows colder as the rain continues to fall. I begin to lose perception of what's real... It doesn't matter anymore... How great would it be if everything ended now... After that day, I lost the ability to feel both of my legs. If only everything ended that day... If only I never existed... All I have now are the sweet but painful memories of Master Attendant. "Meow---" Where is this sound coming from? Am I hearing things? Perhaps it is calling for me in this darkness. It must have been my imagination. But then I heard the creaking sound of loosening boards... I turned around to see where this sound was coming from and I saw a familiar light pass through the darkness. Even in this darkness, a speck of moonlight still shines. I squint through the darkness and my eyes begin to focus on a silver sakura petal falling gracefully in front of me. "Where did this beautiful sakura petal come from?" I stuck out my hand and reached for it. Master Attendant loved sakuras. It was his favorite. No matter the situation, sakuras had the ability to bring a smile to his face. As I grabbed for the sakura petal, everything became pitch black. Bang- I lost my balance and fell to the ground. It seems like my reactions have slowed down; even the sensation of pain felt like it was delayed. "Meow- Meow-" Something warm grazed the side of my hands. A sudden sweet but bitter feeling overcame me. Ah, that's right, I was the one who was locked away... 'II. Monster' "Master, the window in the room is broken. Wind will seep through." "That's okay! We need some summer breeze anyways. Hahaha!" Every time Master laughs, his whole body shakes with him. "But... it's winter right now..." Master's laughter was too loud for my voice to be heard. This place used to be where Master and I lived. A small village once stood over there near the sea of Sakura trees. But now... I am the only one left... Along with that cat... "Excuse me... is anyone here?" A boy's voice came from outside. I hid myself in a dark corner to avoid being noticed. I didn't want him to know that there was anyone here. "Meow, Meow..." The boy tried to mimic the cry of a cat. "Meow..." All of a sudden, the cat responded as well. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Come out now!" The sound of the boy's voice became more vibrant as he finally found his cat. However, his cat didn't seem amused. It merely sat there without moving an inch. The cat seemed to ignore the boy's call as it went about licking it's paw without a scent of worry or concern for the boy. "Can you help me bring him out?" After a long time, I finally realized that the boy was asking for me. How did he find out? Without realizing it, I moved closer to the wall. "Ah, don't worry! I'm Bonito Rice, I'm not a bad person!" All of a sudden, I felt comforted. "Meow... Meow." The cat moved closer to me as it grazed my body. "Have you lived here all this time? How come everything is covered? Were you locked away?" Bonito Rice's questions seemed to go on and on. As I looked across this darkened room, it seems that I've forgotten what it once looked like. I didn't want to answer his questions. I just wanted him to leave. I took the cat and placed it near the window. "Thank you..." Even after Bonito Rice got his cat back, he still didn't want to leave. "You're a Food Soul, so what are you doing here?" "Me...? I'm not a food soul." I replied, using a very hoarse voice. "A monster like me, could never be a Food Soul..." I was responsible for his death... I am no better than a Fallen Angel. "Hm? Monster? I've never seen one before." Bonito Rice's tone didn't change. "Is it because you look scary?" "That's not your fault." He meant no harm, yet I felt beyond agitated. How could someone like him understand how I felt? Why am I still alive? Why couldn't I be the one who died? Master... do you... hate me? 'III. Remembering Flowers' This is a house covered by wooden boards. Even the windows and doors have been sealed shut by me. I can see sakura petals in the sky through the wooden cracks of these sealed windows. Whether they're flowers or people, everything dies in this world. Of course I understand this simple fact, but I don't deserve to be here. It was one of those rare days when Master had some free time, so we went sakura viewing. "Why the long face even in the presence of such beauty?" Master asked me with a smile on his face. "These blossoms...They may be pretty, but they will eventually disappear." I said this quietly. "Well, life is short, so you have to cherish it! Hahaha! *cough cough*" As he laughed without care, he began coughing with more and more force. "The time we spend together is lessening by the day! So we must cherish every moment!" I didn't know how to respond, so I let out an awkward chuckle. Come to think of it, Master's health had already begun to deteriorate. He kept it to himself though. He never wanted to worry me. Why did he keep it a secret? If only he had told me...I could have... No...It's my fault... It was because I didn't realize how sick he was... I thought humanity was once beautiful like flowers. I never thought they would be as delicate as a flower petal as well, but now I know this sad and painful truth. So, as someone who brings with him death, I must stay away from everything. If it weren't for that cat, the small cap between the window boards would not exist. As the sunlight beamed in and the scent of flowers filled the room, memories began to fill my mind. "AH! You're still here~" that familiar voice is back again. After that day, Bonito Rice would always come around. At first, Bonito Rice came around looking for his cat. A while later, they began to stop by daily as if it were a habit. "Cats are far more sensitive than we think, they don't even want people to see their own death..." Bonito Rice would often ramble on and on about cats. He also tells me about life outside; about the Food Soul raising cats, the Food Souls taking classes and many other interesting places. But this doesn't concern me. I didn't want to be a part of their world, and I didn't want them to become a part of mine. ...When will it end for me? All of a sudden something floated across my face. I reached for it as it landed on my clothes, and I realized that it was the remains of a cherry blossom. How could something like this possibly float into this room? I sealed up that place. "Are you feeling better now?" An unfamiliar girl's voice appeared out of nowhere. "I am Sakuramochi! I heard from Bonito Rice that you were feeling a bit troubled...So I-" "Did you make this sakura appear?" I didn't wait for her to finish before I asked her. "Yep! I hope this sakura can make you feel better." said Sakuramochi. "Thank you...But...You don't have to do anything for me." If only Master had Sakuramochi by her side. He wouldn't have ended up like that. "I don't deserve to live in this world." "You must continue living! Your Master Attendant would have wanted you to!" Sakuramochi argued with all her might. Unfortunately, I don't deserve her comfort. After all, I was the reason that Master died. 'IV. Beloved Things' "Meow." The cat seems to have come back again. I don't know how long Bonito Rice and Sakuramochi plan to come over for, nor do I know how long they plan to stay... Like clockwork, they come and go. As the cat prepared to leave, it jumped onto the window ledge. However, this time it didn't leave, instead it circled the ledge and suddenly lied still. I don't know why, but my heart began to beat faster. A familiar feeling fell across me. I felt a sudden chill in the air. I finally realized what had happened. It all made sense now. The cat was no longer alive. "They don't even want you to see their death..." All I could think about was what Bonito Rice had said to me. Does it know how I feel? Was the cat waiting to die with me? As I stared at the lifeless cat, the room grew colder and more quiet until it fell completely silent. I could hear my heart beating. I thought to myself: perhaps this is it. This will be the end of me as well. In this darkness, I found myself feeling the warmth of my master again. His face and his lifeless body seem to be flashing before my eyes. "Ah-" I held my hands on my face as I let out a cry of sorrow. I've never felt so much pain before, not even when Master left me that day. The pain I feel is unbearable. It's as if something is crushing my heart. The pain of sorrow has haunted me for far too long. It has taken a toll on me. "What's wrong!?" Bonito Rice and Sakuramochi have been calling for me from outside. But quickly, all I can see is darkness and all I can hear is the sound of dead silence. I know it must be painful. Don't worry, I'll relieve you soon. Instead of suffering, why not just die? Suddenly, glimmering cherry blossoms begin to fall in this dark void. I began to hear the faint cry of a cat. I turned around and saw a small glimmer of light. A small kitten slowly approached me. The cat that had just passed away, now seemed to be energetic as ever. It began to lick and cuddle the small kitten. "But... Why? How?" I didn't believe what I was seeing. How did the cat that just died go from a cold and lifeless body to a warm and healthy cat, full of energy? I wasn't sure when it happened, but the boards on the window had all been broken. A boy with cat ears and a little girl dressed in pink appeared in front of me. "This is a special power that exists in this world." said the little girl dressed in pink. "Even though I don't understand it completely myself, I know that it's powerful. It's called love." Bonito shook his head as if he couldn't understand but tried. "Love..." Without thinking, I repeated this word. I felt something warm flow across my face and land into my hands. I never knew of this word and Master never taught me it. Even so, for some reason, I began to cry. "I am Bonito Rice." "I am Sakuramochi~" "I... Am... Raindrop Cake." Am I even believable like this? Master Attendant loved me... 'V. Raindrop Cake' In Sakura Forest, a village existed. It was rather small. If you stayed there long enough, you would learn everyone’s names. After Raindrop Cake was summoned by his master, they lived and stayed there in that village. Raindrop Cake’s master was a bright and generous man. He was kind to those around him and had a warm heart. Everyone took a liking to his company and depended on him. Even though Raindrop Cake belonged to such a well-liked man, he rarely socialized with the villagers. Even so, the villagers treated him kindly. The village did not have rich vegetation or resources to thrive off of. However, they had an abundance of sakura. In order to ensure the survival of the villagers, Raindrop Cake and his master taught them all kinds of knowledge about sakura trees. Under his master’s leadership, the village began to develop all sorts of sakura recipes. Soon enough, Salted Sakura, Sakura Paste, and Sakura Pie become delicacies in the area. They then used those delicacies to engage in trade with the other regions. This brought in more resources into their village. This would result into their growth. Though the village only had ten households, the people were comfortable and happy. They felt safe with the help of Raindrop Cake’s master. The villagers lived there in peace as they placed their trust in his master. The reason for this as the man had a calm and positive demeanor. Nothing ever worrying him. Raindrop Cake never worried for his master, he simply thought he was a strange character. As he always put others before himself, but never considered to take anything for himself. Regardless of what people needed help with, his master was always willing to lend a hand. “If we have extra material, why don’t we give it to the villagers or make something out of it for them?” His master would always say. For that reason, the villagers took him for granted. When the days were calm, they would ask his master to remodel their house or fix minor inconveniences. While lending a hand, he would never complain. He would never ask for anything in return as he always seemed happy to help. Raindrop Cake never understood his master’s ideals. All he knew about him was that he enjoyed gazing at the sakuras. Raindrop Cake never left the village, unlike his master who traveled across lands beyond the village boundaries, as he never liked to socialize and preferred to go about his business and help out those in need when the opportunity arises. He enjoyed the place, however, he wanted change. He didn’t want to live a lonely life forever. “Perhaps… Master doesn’t need me?” That was when Raindrop Cake began to believe that his master never cared for him. That he didn’t need him. With that belief in mind, Raindrop Cake questioned his master as to why he never brought him along in his adventures. His master’s response had laughter to it. “When I travel to other places, I leave you here because I know you can protect the villagers when I can’t.” It was from then on that Raindrop Cake understood his master wishes. It was also from then on that Raindrop Cake began to engage more with the villagers. Though being clumsy at first, the villagers never laughed at him. When he realized he wasn’t fit for the daily tasks of the villagers, he found an activity he was fit for. He was skilled and efficient when it came to handling the Fallen Angels that appeared every so often. By slaying the Fallen Angels that appeared, he felt that the village would be a safer place for the villagers and his master. At first the Fallen Angels were small. However, in time, they became larger and more aggressive. As the dangers increased, the time Raindrop Cake had with his master grew less and less. Due to that, he didn’t’ realize that the man who he called “Master” was growing weaker and weaker by the day. When peace returned. It was only then that Raindrop Cake realized how frail his master had become. How his master’s laughter only brought dry coughs. However, that didn’t change his master in the slightest bit. He was still the same kind and warm hearted man as he told Raindrop Cake of all the wonders of the outside world. Upon hearing his master’s tales, Raindrop Cake felt that their future together would be bright. However, upon the very same night, a Fallen Angel invasion occurred in the village. A colossal Fallen Angel appeared that led Raindrop Cake to be in shock. The Fallen Angel wrecked havoc upon the village. There was nowhere for them to run. No way for them to retaliate or to hide. Everything they had worked towards… Everything they created… It was all.. Destroyed. A flare of anger engulfed Raindrop Cake. He made a vow to slay the Fallen Angel. He was determined to make it happen. And thus, he mustered his strength and laid havoc onto the evil being. In the midst of the fight, he felt a sharp pain. He felt as if something dear to him had been taken away. Something inside him had went missing. While Raindrop Cake was in a daze, the Fallen Angel took the opportunity and knocked Raindrop Cake away. As Raindrop Cake fell, he noticed his master lying there on the ground. An image then appeared in his head. He came to realize how deep his connection was to his master. He also came to realize that every time he used his power, his master would grow weaker. As if he was sucking away his life force. The Fallen Angel began to make its way across the Sakura Forest. Raindrop Cake let it through. He didn’t care anymore. The only thing he care for was his master who lied lifeless in front of him. He then sat beside his master in the rain. Nothing left his lips. When the rain finally let up, Raindrop Cake remained there. Motionless in pain... Category:Food Soul Story